Plaques of Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield now hang just a few feet from
those of Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Puckett and Winfield were inducted in Cooperstown, New York,
and many Minnesotans were on hand to mark the occasion.

Hall of Fame inductees Bill Mazeroski, left, and Dave Winfield congratulate Kirby Puckett after his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday.

It's doubtful that any Minnesotans in Cooperstown stopped by
because they happened to be in the area. Rather, visitors to this town of 2,000 in upstate New York usually have a specific purpose in mind; like
Bob Casey, for example. The Minnesota Twins public address announcer was on
hand to announce the names of the baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2001. One
name, in particular, Casey seemed to relish. "Ladies and gentlemen: the center fielder, number 34, Kirby Puckett," Casey intoned in his trademark introduction.

For 12 years Casey's signature introduction of Kirby Puckett was music to
the ears of Twins fans at the Metrodome. Hearing that introduction in
Cooperstown, the hallowed ground where only the game's greatest are honored,
was a thrill to those who made the journey.

Even before Puckett's enshrinement, Minnesota basked in the glory of the
day's first inductee, Dave Winfield, who was born and raised in St. Paul
and was a star athlete at the University of Minnesota. With a national
audience listening, Winfield reminisced about childhood trips to Oxford
playground to play ball.

"I remember my brother Steve and myself walking down Carroll Avenue with
that first baseball uniform on. Looking good. Walking with those cleats and
everything, becoming part of a team. It wasn't that long ago and those are
experiences that I'll never forget," Winfield said in a 23-minute speech.

The Twins are on a list of six teams Winfield played for during a twenty-two
year major league career. Between all those teams and seasons, he rolled up
lots of people to thank and his speech was the longest of the induction day.

Winfield also had friends and admirers supporting him from the various parts
of the country where he's played. Puckett, on the other hand, personifies
Minnesota to many baseball fans. He played his entire 12-year career with
the Twins and may be the most popular player in team history.

But Puckett
grew up in a public housing project on the south side of Chicago. In his Hall
of Fame speech, he, like Winfield, fondly recalled the support and direction
provided by a mother who didn't live to see her son in Cooperstown. "And Momma's probably looking down right now and thinking about all those
spankings she gave me for hitting balls through neighbors' windows and
breaking lamps and everything else in the house. I want to tell Mom, 'Well,
Mom, I hope you can see now that it was worth it. Your little baby is going
into the Hall of Fame,'" Puckett said.

Puckett arranged a trip to Cooperstown for a dozen young baseball players who
now live in the project where he was raised. Ziff Sistrunk, who coaches the
team at Chicago's Robert Taylor homes, says Puckett's enshrinement has
electrified the project. "He's the example for all of Illinois, for all of Chicago to give inspiration. When you're talking about people getting shot and drugs around you every day, when you get an inspirational story like Kirby Puckett, all over Robert Taylor Homes you're seeing people hanging number 34 out, you're seeing people hanging banners out, the kids put together some pictures for
him, schools put up marquees: 'Kirby Puckett.' It's tremendous and what
we want to do is we want this inspiration, this hope to continue," Sistrunk said.

While Puckett's rise to success has inspired many Chicagoans, lots of
Minnesotans are grateful for the way he handled his success. Ron Cavanaugh of
Bloomington took a young friend to Cooperstown as a high school graduation
gift. Cavanaugh says he values what Kirby stands for. "He stands for cleanliness. He stands
for politeness, he stands for being your best, doing the best. He's talked a
number of times about kids staying out of trouble, so he's just a good role
model for kids and adults," Cavanaugh said.

Similar themes were echoed by several of the Minnesotans in Cooperstown, such
as Yvonne Johnson and Margaret Jacobsen of New Brighton. "I just think he's been one of the greatest sports figures we've
had. And a nice guy and a wonderful family. We don't get many heroes like
that nowadays. And so we really wanted to honor him," Yvonne Johnson said.

"I'm a teacher," said Margaret, "and I just think he's been a
role model for all of our kids, I really do. And I used to read my students
the book Kirby Puckett, the Best You Can Be. So we just felt we had to be
there today."

Puckett and Winfield were inducted into the Hall of Fame along with the late
Hilton Smith, a star pitcher in the Negro Leagues during the 1930s and '40s; and Bill Mazeroski, who starred at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates
for 17 years. While Winfield and Puckett delivered their speeches
gracefully, Mazeroski was so overcome with emotion, he was unable to read the
speech he had written.

The only tears Kirby Puckett shed came while Mazeroski
struggled to compose himself. Puckett found it a poignant reminder of what a
great honor it is to be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.